Aaron Osmond chases his tennis dreams after landing US university scholarship

The Gunnedah tennis gun, 19, had just returned to his dorm at Quachita Baptist University in tiny Arkadelphia, Arkansas, following tennis practise. He was speaking via Messenger.

Osmond - the 2022 NSW Country under-18 singles champion - arrived at the university in August on a tennis scholarship, and has already won three titles.

But he took equal pride in revealing that, as a kinesiology and education student, he had achieved the highest possible grade-point average at a US university, as he eyes becoming a PE teacher as a backup career to tennis.

Read also:

"I just found out I'm on the president's list for the university for having a 4.0 GPA, which practically means being a straight-A student for the semester," he said.

Clearly, Osmond has had a dream start to his US experience - burying his homesickness with the other insecurities that impair excellence, ahead of the start of his debut tennis season in the US.

Quachita Baptist University's tennis team is ranked 14 nationally in NCAA Division II and is part of the Great American Conference, which is headquartered in Russellville, Arkansas.

It was at Russellville that Osmond captured his first singles title, at the Great American Conference Championships, following four consecutive singles losses straight out of the gate in the US.

He also won the doubles title at Russellville, after winning a doubles event with the same partner at another off-season tournament, in Texas.

"I started off the first tournament or two a bit rusty, a little bit homesick ... just struggling a little bit to find my footing," he said.

"So that was really important to me to be able to get a few wins in the singles."

Osmond - who won the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at back-to-back North West championships in 2020 and 2021 - recently returned to the States after spending Christmas in Gunnedah - trading an Aussie summer for a US winter.

The St Mary's College alumnus linked with Quachita Baptist University through Study and Play USA, a Brisbane-based organisation that facilities sports scholarships for Aussies at US universities.

He was inspired by Gabby O'Gorman to pursue that route. She left Gunnedah in 2017 upon landing a tennis scholarship in the US.

"And she told me how awesome it was to come over here, play in a team, train and get a degree," he said, adding that he is "lovin' it" in Arkadelphia, which is similar in size to Gunnedah and is also home to Henderson State University.

"So there's a lot of life within the town through the colleges."

Osmond said "the dream is to go pro, hopefully play the Australian Open one day and play for Australia", adding: "That would be incredible."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: